BOSTON (AP) — Lemi Berhanu Hayle of Ethiopia has won the Boston Marathon in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 12 minutes, 45 seconds.
The 21-year-old pulled away from defending champion Lelisa Desisa as they crossed the Mass Pike heading into Kenmore Square. He won by 47 seconds.
The victory completed Ethiopia’s first-ever sweep of the men’s and women’s races in Boston.
It was Hayle’s first major marathon victory. He has run four smaller marathons since 2014, winning three and finishing second in Dubai in January.
Desisa finished 47 seconds back, in second place, and Ethiopian Yemane Adhane Tsegay was third to complete a sweep of the podium.
Atsede Baysa of Ethiopia won the women’s race.
The 29-year-old, two-time Chicago Marathon winner came from 37 seconds behind with less than five miles to go and passed fellow Ethiopian Tirfi Tsegaye with two miles left.
Baysa finished in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 29 minutes, 19 seconds. Tsegaye was 44 seconds back.
Defending women’s champion Carolina Rotich dropped out in the first five miles.
Tatyana McFadden won the women’s wheelchair race. It was her fourth victory in a row.
McFadden completed the 26.2-mile course from Hopkinton to Copley Square in an official time of 1 hour, 42 minutes, 16 seconds. That is 8:10 behind the record pace because of a headwind.
McFadden was born in Russia and adopted by an American woman as a small child. She was wearing a singlet honoring Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy killed in the 2013 finish line bombings.
Switzerland’s Marcel Hugwon his second straight men’s wheelchair title.
Hug crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 24 minutes and 1 second, which was just 5:36 off the course and world record. The 30-year-old edged second place Ernst Van Dyk, of South Africa, and Australian Kurt Fearnley, who was third.
The top three finished within a second of each other. Hug overtook the 10-time champion Van Dyk in the final turn off Boylston Street and outsprinted Van Dyk and Fearnley to the line.
Hug’s time was nearly five minutes faster than his 2015 win.
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